1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of medical devices and is more particularly, but not by way of limitation, directed to an apparatus for supporting and restraining a patient.
2. Description of the Related Art
When doctors and other medical professionals perform certain procedures on a patient, it is sometimes necessary to position the patient in a way that limits patient mobility. For instance, during brain surgery neurosurgeons require the patient's head be immobilized for purposes of performing the surgical operation. In some cases the patient is not sedated during the operation. In such cases not only is immobilization critical, but it is important for the patient to be made as comfortable as possible. Current systems for restraining patient movement exist but these systems lack the usability and functions needed for medical professionals to perform effective operations. For instance, existing systems have problems with blood and saliva contamination (which puts patients at a higher risk of infection) and generally lack mechanism for increasing patient comfort.
For purposes of illustration a brief discussion of several existing systems for restraining patient mobility will now follow. U.S. Pat. No. 6,637,057 describes a head immobilizer that consists of a base headboard for supporting the back of an injured person's head. The base headboard has an elongated slot with teeth racks disposed on either side of the injured person's head. The headboard also comprises straps for attaching to a spine board. Two side head blocks are removably attached to the headboard using plunger-type locks that engage an elongated slot on each side of a center portion of the headboard. Each lock is engaged to a slot of the headboard through a separate elongated slot in the corresponding head block. Advantageously, a head block may be adjusted by moving the engagement of the lock along each independent slot in the headboard and head block, respectively. In addition, a head block may be rotated around its lock. A problem with this head immobilizing system is that it limits access to the patient.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,122 describes a head restraint system that utilizes a resilient block of material to wedge a patients head into an state of immobilization. This resilient block has an exterior surface and including a bottom; an inclined front face having a top edge; a rear face; sidewalls; a cavity in the front face forming an interior cavity wall, the intersection of the cavity and the front face having a circumference less than the rear peripheral circumference of the head of a patient; and a split, opening between the cavity and the exterior, intersecting the rear face, the top edge and the front face above the cavity. A problem with this head restraint system is that it provides little room for access to the top of the patient's head during intervention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,933,154 discloses an immobilizer device that utilizes flexible straps of Velcro™. The immobilizer is used to immobilize a patient during X-ray and surgical procedures. The immobilizer has a back which is adapted to be rigid or bent at various positions. It also has flexible straps for securing different sections of a patient's body against movement in the immobilizer. The immobilizer comprises two parts, a radiotransparent backing member and a radiotransparent flexible part. The backing member is removably inserted under the flexible member with the backing member held firmly by loops and slots on the back of the flexible member. The knee and elbow sections can be produced so as to be used individually and have a unique method of restraining these appendages. The elbow and head restraints are adjustable for patients of different heights. A problem with this immobilizer device retrains the top portion of the head along with the circumference of the head and thereby limits access to that portion of the patient's head during intervention (see e.g., FIG. 4, elements 14 and 19).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,524,639 discloses a jaw support apparatus with supporting arms on each side of a patients jaw and with flexible straps of Velcro. The apparatus is intended to maintain or improve a supine patient's airway in a hands-free environment. A frame and detachable pillow device are placed under the patient's head. Mechanisms extend laterally from the frame and provide jaw support members that may be brought under the angles of the jaw. The jaw support members may slide towards and away from the frame, but this sliding movement is regulated by a unidirectional clutch, such as a ratchet and pawl system, which restricts the jaw support members to sliding movement away from the frame only. When the jaw support members are slid away from the frame, they engage the angles of the jaw, and then thrust the jaw forward to maintain or improve the patient's airway. Once the desired anteriorly thrust position of the jaw is achieved, the unidirectional clutch holds the jaw in place until the clutch is released. The weight of the jaw then causes the jaw support members to slide back towards the frame, restoring the jaw to its normal position. Although the jaw support apparatus retrains the sides of the head, a problem with this jaw support apparatus is that the apparatus limits the amount of accessible area on the sides of the head.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,625 a device for immobilizing the head to prevent further injuries such as neck injuries comprises left and right complimentary blocks. Each block has a skull-supporting surface. The blocks contact the skull with the skull supporting surfaces diverging outwardly and upwardly to provide a wedging action to immobilize the skull against left and right movement as well as to position the height of the skull so that alignment of the neck is achieved. The skull supporting surface surrounds but does not cover the ear so that assessment may be made easily. The left and right blocks may be disposable for one time use or permanently mounted on a carrier for reuse. A problem with skull-support apparatus is that the apparatus limits the amount of accessible area on the sides of the head and does not provide a way to incline the patient into a more comfortable position.
Because each of the problems and limitations discussed above exist in these prior art devices there is a need for an apparatus that restrains a patients head while providing adequate support and still allowing access to a patient's head during intervention.